Closure hinges for vehicles, cabinets and the like involve mounting one end of the hinge to a body and another end to a hood, door or similar moveable panel. The invention will be herein described in respect of a vehicle trunk hood as an example, however it will be understood that the invention is applicable to any number of hinge applications too numerous to specifically mention.
In respect of motor vehicles, due to the costs of tooling, it is preferable to standardize as many parts as possible. Mass production of identical parts that can be utilized in a large number of different vehicles is definitely the most cost effective way in which to manufacture car parts.
On the other hand, especially in respect of the exterior body of a passenger vehicle, major styling modifications are made to the vehicle bodies annually as a norm. To accommodate styling changes to a hinged portion of the car body, such as the trunk hood area, it is often necessary to modify the geometry of the hinge. Hinge redesign results in the need for retooling and the attendant increase in manufacturing costs.
As well, the complex shapes of hoods and the need for clearance to avoid interference damage often dictate that hoods rotate about an axis or point remote from the vehicle body. In such cases, complex multiaxis closure hinges may be used; however, to date, the manufacturing and assembly costs involved in production of such multiaxis hinges is often prohibitive.
Commonly used hinges for vehicle trunk hoods include gooseneck hinges and multiple bar hinges. A significant disadvantage of the gooseneck hinge is that portions of the hinge extend into the cargo area, reducing available space and exposing the cargo and hinge to damage. Interference with the cargo can easily tip the trunk hood and disturb the weather seal. The multibar hinge is more complex and relatively expensive to produce, however the intrusion into the cargo area is improved over the gooseneck hinge.
Lateral stability of prior art hinges is also a concern, and is usually dealt with by providing rigid connection to the body and to the hood, and by increasing the lateral structural resistance of the hinge. However, such measures also increase the material used and labour involved in installation.
Ideally, a hinge which does not intrude into the cargo space is desirable.